Google Ordered to Pay Record €4.1 Bln EU Antitrust Fine

Google must pay a record €4.125 billion ($4.67 billion) antitrust fine after Europe's highest court rejected the company's appeal, upholding a landmark ruling over anti-competitive practices linked to its Android operating system.

The European Commission originally imposed the penalty in 2018, accusing Google of abusing its market dominance by requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome on Android devices.

The Court of Justice of the European Union confirmed a lower court's 2022 decision, which upheld the findings against Google while reducing the initial €4.34 billion fine to €4.125 billion.

Judges dismissed the appeal filed by Google and its parent company, Alphabet, confirming the sanction for what they described as an abuse of a dominant position in the Android ecosystem.

Google argued that the case penalized innovation and maintained that Android users remain free to download competing applications. The company added that it had already modified its commercial agreements following the EU's original decision in 2018.

The ruling marks another setback for the tech giant, which has faced more than €8 billion in EU competition fines since 2017. It also reinforces Brussels' broader regulatory push against Big Tech under the bloc's Digital Markets Act.

Google remains under scrutiny in Europe, including a €2.95 billion fine imposed in 2025 over its digital advertising business and a separate €2.4 billion penalty related to its shopping services.